Democrats 'Nauseously Optimistic' About Retaking Senate, Says Schumer: Live Election Updates

Here’s what to knowMore than 58 million Americans have already voted early, surpassing the total cast before Election Day in the 2022 midterms.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the Democrats are “nauseously optimistic” about taking back the Senate.Some voters in Florida had to make alternative arrangements on Tuesday due to at least 19 polling stations being moved over extreme flooding.The New York Attorney General’s office is "monitoring" issues with ballot scanners in a New York county, after multiple reports of issues at polling stations.The Trump Administration’s forceful approach to election oversight has seen the Justice Department send 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states.California deploys its own election observers after DOJ sends monitorsCalifornia is sending its own election observers to polling locations across the state as the Department of Justice deploys election monitors to all 50 states.In a post on X, state Attorney General Rob Bonta says that state election observers are being sent to key polling locations to ensure that “no one was discouraged from casting a ballot.”Earlier on Tuesday, the DOJ announced in a press release that it is sending election monitors to all 50 states for the first time. In California, the department is monitoring voting in Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento, and San Diego. Federal law prohibits DOJ employees from engaging in partisan political activity while on duty or using their official authority to influence an election’s outcome.The Trump Administration sought to require California to set aside ballots from roughly 20,000 registered voters it identified as possible noncitizens until their citizenship could be verified, despite concerns from state officials about errors in the list. On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the DOJ’s emergency request, leaving lower-court decisions denying the requested intervention in place. — Philip WangNov 3, 12:39 PMDemocratic candidate for Ohio governor Amy Acton told reporters that an ad released by her Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign "crossed a line."“I have felt all along that there's no low he won't go to. I think he is out of touch. He's out for himself,” she said, after casting her ballot at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.The ad featured Acton’s mother, who has not spoken to her daughter since 1978 when she defended Acton’s stepfather who was indicted for raping Acton as a child.The campaigning move sparked controversy and condemnation across both sides of the political aisle.Ramaswamy has doubled down on the ad, receiving the support of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. However, other Republicans, including Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, who is facing a tight re-election bid against Democrat Sherrod Brown, said they would not have run the ad.The race to succeed Gov. Mike DeWine, who is barred from seeking another term, has become unexpectedly competitive in Ohio, a state Trump won by double digits in 2024.Polling ahead of the midterms suggested a tight race, with Acton holding a slight lead. If she wins, it would be the first time in 20 years that Ohio voters had elected a Democrat as governor. — Tiago Ventura What early voting data can show about the midtermsNov 3, 12:30 PM As Election Day unfolds, Americans are beginning to wait in line at their polling centers. But tens of millions already cast their ballots during their states' early voting periods, and those responses offer a preview into how the midterm elections may play out.Nearly 60 million people have voted since early voting windows opened in some states over a month ago, according to tracking by the University of Florida’s Election Lab. Around half of those votes have been cast in person, while the other half were submitted by mail. That figure already represents close to half of the roughly 122 million Americans who voted in the 2022 midterms.Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida who runs the Election Lab, stresses to TIME that early voting data cannot in and of itself be relied on to predict the outcome of the elections. But he says it can reveal other informative aspects of voting behavior.“Once you start seeing consistency across multiple days of voting and across multiple states, it starts giving us more confidence that whatever we're seeing in terms of relative engagement, that's likely going to carry through to election day,” McDonald says.Read the full story here. — Connor GreeneHaley Stevens doubles down on split from Abdul El-SayedNov 3, 11:50 AM Rep. Haley Stevens is standing by her last-minute move to endorse Republican candidate Mike Rogers instead of Abdul El-Sayed, whom she lost the Michigan Democrats' Senate primary to in August.When asked if her decision was worth all of the backlash she has received, Stephens told NewsNation: “Absolutely, voting is always worth it.”“It’s the people’s day, I’ve told this to our next Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries, its ‘majority maker’s’ day,” she said, pointing to her confidence that the Democrats can flip the House.Stevens has been widely criticised by fellow Democrats since she announced her shock endorsement over the weekend. House Minority Leader Jeffries led the support for El-Sayed, championing the candidate as someone who “will always put the American people first and fight hard to lower the high cost of living.”Jeffries went on to describe Rogers as “a partisan hack who represents more of the same MAGA extremism.”The final set of New York Times/Siena polls released on Nov. 1 showed El-Sayed leading 53% to Rogers’ 42% among likely voters. While Democrats have labeled Stevens’ move a “betrayal,” Republicans have celebrated it, with President Donald Trump even inviting the Congresswoman to join the GOP. — Callum SutherlandTrump says U.S. will stop $4 billion in aid to Israel by year-endNov 3, 11:20 AM President Donald Trump said the U.S. is cutting off aid to Israel, citing a deal he reached “months ago” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Dialling into Fox News Tuesday morning, as voters across America headed to the polls, Trump said: “We've already agreed that by the end of this year, we ⁠won't be paying Israel. Now we'll help Israel ‌if they need it."It was not immediately clear which funding Trump was referring to or how the Administration planned to halt it, given that the existing Memorandum of Understanding provides for $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Israel through 2028. Netanyahu earlier in the year said he was eager to "draw down" U.S. financial support for Israel "to zero.”U.S. aid to Israel and Washington's conflict in the Middle East have been among the most contentious issues leading up to the midterms. Trump's announcement on election day comes amid continued debate over the country's support for Israel.The Iran war—which started on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iranian targets—is currently in its ninth month and remains deeply unpopular with Americans.The conflict is estimated to have cost American taxpayers around $47.1 billion so far. Furthermore, Americans have had to shoulder the gasoline prices ⁠that have soared as a result of the unrest—a point many Democratic candidates mentioned in their campaigns leading up to the midterms.Asked for his final message to voters heading to the polls, Trump touted his record on immigration and crime while insisting that Americans “have to keep America great.” — Tiago VenturaDemocrats “nauseously optimistic” about retaking Senate, says SchumerNov 3, 10:50 AM After casting his vote in Brooklyn, New York, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters he was "optimistic that when the polls close tonight, there will be a new Democratic majority in the United States Senate."Emphasizing a need for caution, Schumer said he would characterize the party's mood as “nauseously optimistic” and noted that a year ago, “no one thought we’d be even close to taking the Senate back."Democrats are in a strong position to secure a majority in the House and the Senate is also up for grabs. Although polls point to a blue wave, Republicans say they’re wrong. Here's why. — Olivia-Anne Clearly How Trump could interfere with the midterms after Election DayNov 3, 10:15 AM As polling stations close Tuesday evening, local election officials and voting rights groups are bracing for the prospect of federal officials possibly seizing election materials and voting machines.In January, the FBI raided the Fulton County election office in Georgia and seized election materials in connection with the 2020 election. In May, a federal judge ruled that the federal government could continue to retain the ballots. The FBI has not announced any wrongdoing stemming from the investigation.“The lesson of Fulton County was that you have to be ready to be in court literally in minutes,” Norm Eisen, co-founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Action, tells TIME. Eisen has been working closely with voting rights groups as well as local and state election officials in multiple states to prepare for any federal interference in next week’s elections. That includes being ready to immediately file lawsuits as soon as any federal officials try to seize any ballots or voting machines.Other legal scholars are also encouraging judges to consider alternative solutions if federal authorities seek to retain election materials. Rick Hasen, a law professor and director of UCLA’s Safeguarding Democracy Project, published a white paper urging judges who might see warrant applications for ballot seizure to consider ordering copies of the ballot to allow the election certification process to continue. Read the full story here. — Philip WangNew York Attorney General’s office "monitoring" issues with ballot scanners in New York countyNov 3, 9:43 AM New York’s Attorney General Letitia James said her office is monitoring an "issue with scanners in Westchester [County] and is in touch with the state and local Boards of Elections as they work on a solution."She noted that Westchester voters can still safely fill out and turn in ballots at their polling locations, assuring locals: "Your votes will count."The Westchester County Board of Elections said it was aware of the “issue involving paper ballots that is preventing voting machines from accepting ballots at polling locations throughout the county.”The technical issues come as voters are set to determine a competitive House race between Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, whose district includes part of Westchester County, and his Democratic challenger Cait Conley.Lawler said on social media that “there is a problem with every ballot scanner” in Westchester County, but reiterated that “every ballot will be counted,” urging people to stay in line and vote. Conley similarly acknowledged the matter and said the issue is being worked on in a "bipartisan manner." — Tiago VenturaAs polling stations across the country fill up, what's the best time to vote to avoid long lines?Nov 3, 9:13 AM Long lines can be a strong deterrent to voting, especially for Black and Latino voters, who on average have experienced longer waits than white voters, according to a June 2020 report by the Brennan Center for Justice.Since polling hours and conditions vary by county, and even within a county, wait times can be unpredictable. But early mornings and after-work hours tend to be the busiest times.Additionally, lines tend to be longer on Election Day than they are during early voting periods, which do not demonstrate any consistent high-traffic time slots. However, there is no universally confirmed “least busy” time to vote.Justice Department sends 1,000 election monitors across all 50 statesNov 3, 8:45 AM In what it described as its “largest monitoring effort in history,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday it would monitor voting across all 50 states for the first time, with approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers deployed.The effort will draw personnel from the Civil Rights Division, U.S. attorneys' offices, and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, the department said in a press release.While the department has deployed election monitors under the Voting Rights Act since 1965, the nationwide scope and number of personnel involved mark an unprecedented expansion of its monitoring efforts.The announcement comes amid the Trump Administration’s forceful approach to election oversight.The DOJ filed a complaint against California last month, seeking to block the counting of mail ballots registered to voters it alleges are suspected noncitizens. The department also sought to have ballots from those voters set aside, pending confirmation of citizenship, but the Supreme Court rejected the emergency request on Monday.A federal judge dismissed that lawsuit, although the DOJ has since appealed.Judge blocks Trump Administration from sending states lists of alleged noncitizen votersNov 3, 8:15 AM A federal district judge temporarily halted efforts by the Justice and Homeland Security departments to send election officials lists of alleged noncitizen voters. The order also bars the departments from asking state election officials to separate those voters’ ballots or leave them uncounted until citizenship has been proven.In the ruling issued late Monday, D.C. judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, prohibited the departments from “further disclosing, transmitting, or releasing data purporting to constitute lists of individual potential or actual non-citizen voters or registered voters” in any state or county.The ruling comes amid the Trump Administration’s attempt to assert federal control over administration of the midterm elections.In recent weeks, the Justice Department has mounted a legal challenge against the State of California. On Oct. 15, it filed a complaint against the state, seeking to block the counting of mail ballots said to be completed by alleged noncitizens. The complaint has been rejected in a number of courts, and on Monday, the Supreme Court also threw out an appeal from the Trump Administration regarding the legal challenge.California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the Supreme Court's decision, saying: “Democracy won.”Trump has repeatedly questioned the integrity of U.S. elections while pushing for passage of the SAVE Act, legislation that would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and impose other election-related restrictions.While the President has claimed mail-in voting is corrupt and noncitizen voting is rampant—research indicates both are incredibly rare.Could a Democrat win the race for the late Lindsey Graham's seat in deep-red South Carolina?Nov 3, 7:45 AM Polling by the New York Times/Siena, released last week, found that likely voters in South Carolina are essentially evenly split over whether they would vote for the Republican nominee, who was appointed by the state governor to finish the remainder of her late brother’s term after he died in July and later announced that she would run for the seat in the midterms, and Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who won the Democratic primary in June.In August, the Cook Political Report rated the South Carolina race as “Solid Republican,” indicating that the GOP was widely expected to retain control of the Senate seat. But the election forecaster later shifted the race slightly in Democrats’ favor to “Likely Republican;” then, on Oct. 20, it changed its rating again to “Lean Republican.”The race is just one example of how Republicans are apparently struggling to maintain voter support in this election cycle. Most generic ballot polls show that voters are more likely to back Democrats than Republicans in this midterm election. Other polling suggests that GOP candidates are even having trouble keeping leads in states that are typically considered strongholds for the party, such as in Texas, where most surveys have found that the Democratic candidate James Talarico is ahead—by a narrow margin—of Republican Ken Paxton in a heated and expensive Senate race heading into Election Day on Tuesday.Read the full story here. — Chantelle Lee19 Florida polling places moved due to heavy rain and floodingNov 3, 7:15 AM Florida officials were forced to find alternative polling stations after heavy rainfall triggered dangerous flash flooding along the midsection of Florida.Polls in the state opened at 7 a.m. ET Tuesday morning, and as of 7. 15 a.m., at least 19 polling stations have been moved, according to the secretary of state’s office.Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Monday declaring a state of emergency in Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties.Included in the order was a provision allowing supervisors of elections in impacted areas to designate new polling places at sites that are deemed unsafe or where voters can't reach them due to flooding.In some instances, precincts are being merged into other poll locations which have been able to remain open.Among other races, Floridians are set to cast their ballots to determine a tight gubernatorial showdown between Trump-backed Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly, as Democrats seek to challenge the Republican stronghold in Florida.How Trump is spending Election DayNov 3, 6:50 AM After weeks of rallies across the country, President Trump is set to spend Election Day at the White House, as polls suggest his party may be in for a tough night.Trump gave a final speech ahead of Election Day on Monday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the source of a recent troubled renovation, in which his Administration’s achievements while calling Democrats “extreme and dangerous.”“For whatever reason, the sitting President doesn’t win the midterms, and we gave this a very strong shot,” he said.The President’s schedule on Monday also had him attending at least nine virtual tele-rallies to stump for Republican candidates across the country. It was the capstone to weeks of campaigning by Trump. Just in October, he attended and spoke at 27 campaign rallies.On Tuesday, the President is set to remain at the White House into the evening as states from coast to coast tabulate the election results, according to a White House official. Election night is expected to to stretch into the early hours, with the first polls closing at 6 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday and the last in Alaska at 1 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday.The President, along with First Lady Melania Trump, cast their ballots early in person in West Palm Beach, Florida, two weeks ago.Read the full story here. — Philip WangPolls open across the East Coast for pivotal midterm electionsNov 3, 6:15 AM Polls have now officially opened in states including New York, New Jersey, Maine, Connecticut, and Virginia. Polling stations opened as early as 5 a.m. ET in Vermont, with eager voters heading to cast their ballots.As more polls continue to open across the country, voters will be deciding who will control Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency.With more than 58 million early votes already cast, the stakes are high. While the President himself is not on the ballot, many view the election as a referendum on Trump.In closing remarks delivered at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in D.C. on Monday, Trump referred to the election as "the most important midterm, I believe, in our lifetime."Trump urged his base to vote on Election Day, telling the crowd: “America is ready to go. They’re ready to vote. I hope they’re ready to do the right thing."Although he acknowledged that the political party in control of the White House typically loses seats in Congress during the midterms, he insisted, "We gave this a very strong shot.” — Olivia-Anne ClearyJ.D. Vance makes final pitch to voters ahead of "most important midterm election" of his lifetimeNov 3, 5:55 AM Vice President J.D. Vance delivered his final remarks on the midterms in his home state of Ohio on Monday, where some of the most pivotal races are set to be decided.Referring to it as the “most important midterm election” of his lifetime, the former Ohio Senator urged rally attendees to cast their votes for Republican Senate candidate Jon Husted and Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.“I am closing out this midterm campaign right where it all started for me, the great state of Ohio, because I know you're going to choose right tomorrow,” said Vance. "The only game in town for low taxes, for common sense, and for patriotic American values, it’s Vivek’s party, it's Jon’'s party, it's the Republican party, and don't forget it tomorrow.”Ohio’s gubernatorial election has been one of the most contentious races of the midterms. Ramaswamy faced bipartisan backlash over his decision to feature his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother in a campaign ad.While some Republicans, including Vance, vehemently defended the ad, others condemned it and called for its removal.The final set of New York Times/Siena polls before the midterm election showed Democrats with an edge in Ohio's races for Senator and governor. The polls released and partly conducted on Sunday showed Acton leading over Ramaswamy by 49% to 43% among likely voters. — Callum SutherlandHow Pete Buttigieg and Rafael Warnock became Democrats' midterm MVPsNov 3, 5:15 AM One is a former mayor, White House hopeful, and Transportation Secretary. The other preaches from the pulpit once claimed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he isn’t casting votes in the Senate.Neither Pete Buttigieg nor Sen. Rafael Warnock of Georgia are on the ballot this year, but both have been all over the campaign trail, stumping for candidates across the country ahead of the midterm elections.Democratic operatives say they are two of the most in-demand boosters this cycle. Admirers say their efficient and plain-spoken manner cuts across ideologies and generations.It’s the kind of positive feedback that is sure to gain notice as handicapping for the 2028 presidential race begins in earnest after the midterms.And, coincidentally, both men’s stump schedules have sent them to places that may prove crucial to anyone with White House ambitions.Just last month, Warnock made stops in South Carolina, which is due to kick off the Democratic nominating calendar, as well as Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin. He also dipped into Mississippi as Democrats are hopeful that a Blue Wave might just be big enough to flip a Senate seat there.Meanwhile, Buttigieg has campaigned in 38 states this year—18 of them more than once. His final week of campaign travel alone had him in Michigan and Wisconsin—both recent swing states—as well as Colorado and Minnesota. All told, Buttigieg has campaigned for more than 70 candidates in person this cycle—including 24 House hopefuls in Republican districts marked by national Democrats as top contenders for flipping.Read the full story here. — Philip ElliottMichigan Democrat defends GOP endorsement as Abdul El-Sayed ignores herNov 3, 4:45 AM Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan took to social media Monday night to defend her shocking weekend endorsement of the Republican candidate in her state’s tight U.S. Senate race.In an 890-word article on X titled “The Decisions We Make,” Stevens described her controversial move, which has been widely condemned by fellow Democrats, as neither “impulsive” nor made for her by anyone else but a “decision of conscience.”Stevens explained how she came to conclude that Abdul El-Sayed, her former primary opponent, “is not fit to serve in the United States Senate.” She acknowledged that endorsing a Republican “is no small thing,” but she said that she backed Mike Rogers, the GOP nominee, “with the hope that he can serve in the tradition of John McCain.”She went on to criticize the Democratic Party’s response to her move. “We cannot preach inclusion while punishing dissent,” she said. “I respect Democrats who disagree with my decision and ask for the same respect in return.”El-Sayed did not respond to Stevens’ post Monday, though he earlier told reporters that he does not think about her. In a closing message to voters published on Fox News on Monday afternoon, El-Sayed made no mention of Stevens, Jewish voters, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, though he referred to Rogers as someone who “took millions from Trump-aligned super PACs, then backed Trump’s dangerous war with Iran, even as gas and groceries spike for Michiganders.” — Chad de GuzmanNewsom warns against helping Trump interfere with electionsNov 3, 4:15 AM California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat widely believed to be eyeing the future presidency, warned on the eve of the 2026 midterms that anyone who helps President Donald Trump interfere in the elections will face justice in the state.“Let me speak clearly and directly to anyone thinking about helping him: If you interfere with our voters, you will be prosecuted with a felony,” Newsom said in a video posted on his social media accounts on Monday. “If you tamper with our ballots, you will face justice. It doesn’t matter who gave the order. Meddle in California’s election, and California will come for you. And don’t count—don’t count on a pardon. The President can’t pardon you out of California justice.”The warning from Newsom, a vocal Trump critic who’s seen as a presidential contender in the 2028 elections, came as the Justice Department filed an emergency request seeking the U.S. Supreme Court’s intervention in a case involving 20,000 people which the Administration has flagged as likely noncitizens on the blue state’s voter rolls. The filing was the latest attempt from the Trump Administration to combat alleged widespread voter fraud, allegations that have been repeatedly debunked.But just hours after the filing, the top court rejected the Administration’s request. Newsom treated the court ruling as a victory. “Democracy won,” he posted separately on X.The California governor nonetheless cautioned about potential interference in the midterms, saying that President Trump has been “setting us up for months and months” so that he could call the elections “stolen.” In the clip, Newsom cited how the Justice Department subpoenaed local election workers as a form of intimidation, while in a letter to California judges last week, Newsom raised “grave concerns [that] federal agents will seek search warrants to seize ballots and ballot materials before the election results are certified.”What time do polls open across the U.S.?Nov 3, 3:45 AM Election Day is underway, and polling precincts are set to open nationwide for in-person voting to add to the more than 58 million early votes already cast for the 2026 midterm elections that will decide the control of Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency as well as numerous state and local contests.Polling place hours vary by state, but commonly follow a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time schedule. The opening schedules of the following states differ (indicated in local times):6 a.m.: Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, some parts of Maine, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia.6:30 a.m.: North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia.7:30 a.m.: Arkansas8 a.m.: Idaho, though counties may open elections at 7 a.m. local time; parts of Nebraska that are under Central TimeThere are also some in-state variations.In Kansas, polling places must open by 7 a.m, but state law also allows counties to open polling locations as early as 6 a.m.In Maine, polls generally open between 6 and 8 a.m., but towns with fewer than 500 residents may open as late as 10 a.m.In Massachusetts, polls may open as early as 5:45 a.m. and no later than 7 a.m.While Minnesota polls open at 7 a.m., qualifying small towns may open as late as 10 a.m.In Montana, most polling places must open by 7 a.m., but towns with fewer than 400 electors may open as late as 12 p.m.In New Hampshire, municipalities decide on poll opening times, as long as it’s before 11 a.m.In North Dakota, polling precincts must open by 9 a.m. and no earlier than 7 a.m.Polling centers across most of Rhode Island open at 7 a.m., with the exception of New Shoreham Town Hall, where they open at 9 a.m. In Tennessee, counties decide what time—between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.—the polls will open.And in Vermont, the polls may open as early as 5 a.m. and as late as 10 a.m.Oregon and Washington primarily vote by mail.